The Barbra Streisand Foundation (BSF) was established and endowed in 1986 by the popular entertainer Barbra Streisand. Renowned as a highly visible, outspoken advocate for Democratic Party candidates and leftist causes, Ms. Streisand uses her Foundation to support organizations that share her political and social ideals while working “to build a healthier and more just world.” The recipients of BSF's philanthropy are active in a variety of fields including environmentalism, civil rights, race relations, civil liberties, gay rights, voter education, women's rights (including abortion rights), nuclear disarmament, gun control, poverty, and AIDS.

In 1993, in the aftermath of the previous year's infamous Rodney King riots, BSF established, as one of its highest priorities, grantmaking projects targeting “economically disadvantaged youth in Los Angeles.”